Forget the mojito: Experts say Ernest Hemingway's signature drink was likely something else

As Ernest Hemingway's birthday rolls astir each July, Florida bars from Key West to Miami Beach shingle mojitos successful tribute to nan Nobel Prize-winning author. But Hemingway scholars opportunity 1 of nan writer's astir enduring cocktail legends is astir apt conscionable that — a legend.

"I deliberation his relationship to nan mojito is astir apt much story than reality," said Mark Ott, a Hemingway clever clever who has edited nan Teaching Hemingway book bid and served arsenic a consulting editor connected Ken Burns' and Lynn Novick's "Hemingway" documentary. "There's not overmuch of a grounds of him drinking mojitos."

The story is often traced to Havana, Cuba's famed La Bodeguita del Medio, wherever a handwritten inscription attributed to Hemingway proclaims, "My mojito successful La Bodeguita, my daiquiri successful El Floridita."

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But historians person agelong questioned some nan authenticity of nan signature and whether the restaurant moreover operated successful its existent shape during overmuch of Hemingway's clip successful Cuba, wherever he wrote "The Old Man and nan Sea," which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction successful 1953.

This inscription connected show successful La Bodeguita del Medio edifice successful Havana, Cuba, is said to beryllium handwritten by Ernest Hemingway, but galore scholars of nan writer uncertainty its authenticity. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Nevertheless, nan inscription has go a staple of tourism and cocktail culture.

By contrast, Hemingway's affection for daiquiris is well-documented. Ott said nan writer was a regular astatine El Floridita successful Havana, wherever bartenders developed what became known arsenic nan father doble, a variety of nan daiquiri made pinch other rum and nary added sugar.

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"The daiquiri is Hemingway," agreed Frank Gonzalez, nan firm beverage head for Havana 1957, a South Florida edifice group known for its Cuban cocktails.

Gonzalez said Hemingway apt enjoyed some mojitos and daiquiris during his years successful Cuba but that his drinking habits changed complete time.

Hemingway, photographed present connected Jan. 1, 1940, is often associated pinch mojitos and daiquiris. (Bettmann/Contributor)

"He became diabetic, truthful he had to debar drinking drinks aliases cocktails pinch sugar," Gonzalez told Fox News Digital.

Reporting complete nan years has likewise revealed that while Hemingway almost surely visited La Bodeguita del Medio, nan grounds linking him to mojitos is thin. Contemporary accounts, letters and biographies overmuch much often spot a daiquiri, beer, wine aliases scotch successful his manus than Cuba's mint-and-lime cocktail.

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For Ott, nan humanities grounds speaks for itself.

"There's virtually thousands of photographs of Hemingway," he told Fox News Digital. "I person ne'er seen 1 wherever he really has a mojito successful his hand. … You'll spot tons of photos pinch him and beer bottles successful his hands, for example, aliases mixing up martinis and things for illustration that, but ne'er pinch minty leaves floating connected nan apical of a glass."

There are galore photographs of Hemingway pinch a portion successful his hand, though nary look to bespeak that he had a fondness for mojitos, a clever clever told Fox News Digital. (Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images)

One portion Hemingway did favor, Ott said, was scotch.

"He surely liked his scotch," Ott said. "There's nary mobility astir that."

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That doesn't mean mojitos merit immoderate little appreciation, Gonzalez said. 

Although a mojito astir apt wasn't Hemingway's go-to drink, a Cuban cocktail master told Fox News Digital it is champion erstwhile made pinch caller ingredients and gentle muddling. (iStock)

He calls nan classical operation of white rum, caller lime juice, mint, sweetener and soda h2o 1 of Cuba's astir enduring cocktails — arsenic agelong arsenic it's made pinch caller ingredients and a gentle muddle.

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Hemingway was calved connected July 21, 1899. He died connected July 2, 1961, astatine nan property of 61.